Chapter 336: Chapter 23, “Emancipation Proclamation for Black Slaves
 

In some ways, Austria played the role of a troublemaker this time. Normally, this is a task that the British tend to handle.

However, the British felt guilty and worried that after selling a large number of warships, they would lack the capability to suppress challenges from other European nations.

Naval supremacy is the core, and once the Royal Navy appears weak, challengers will pounce.

Don’t think that just because France is currently governed by the Pro-British Faction, they would hesitate to take over given the chance; this is also why the world’s top power usually suppresses the second in line.

Historically, when the British supported the Southern Government, the ships they sold were mostly outdated; the core warships of the Royal Navy were never put on the table.

Franz was much more conscientious – although he did include many old warships, the several ironclad ships were masterpieces of Austria’s modern industrial technology, and he certainly didn’t play a trimmed-down version.

Technically speaking, they were at least a decade ahead of the Americans. Two ships firing at each other from several hundred meters away, exhausting their ammunition without a single hit – only the American Navy could achieve such a feat.

Of course, human factors played a major role, and one could not expect too much from two novice navies. However, inadequate artillery technology was also a significant factor.

Austria is not a naval power anyway, so even if the Southern Government were to reverse-engineer the ship technology, it wouldn’t matter much as they lack the industrial strength to replicate it.

As for devising countermeasures based on the construction of the warships, that’s wishful thinking. Who’s afraid of being targeted by old warships when building new ones?

Don’t be fooled by the brief passage of time; in this era, technology advanced quite rapidly, and the technology of Austrian ironclad ships had already been improved many times. The warships now lying on the slips are completely different from the original ironclad ships.

With the same firepower, the ironclad ships that initially weighed eight or nine thousand tons can now be realized with just over seven thousand tons.

A warship’s combat strength isn’t necessarily stronger with size. It is more dependent on its cannons; typically, the more powerful and numerous its cannons, the stronger the combat strength.

Armor thickness is also a criterion, though it isn’t a major focus at present. Since it is a colonial empire, overseas operations must be considered; a defensive navy isn’t suitable for Austria.

…

In New York, the Federal government, which had just retreated here from Washington, was hit by a bolt from the blue once again.

They had just rallied the public with the fervor for land, securing enough soldiers to maintain a numerical advantage over the Southern Government.

The Department of War was planning a counterattack, intending to exhaust the rebels through superior numbers. Unfortunately, before this plan could be implemented, news came that the Southern Government had purchased a fleet.

This meant that the plan to blockade the South using the navy was utterly ruined, and the Federal navy would be at a disadvantage for some time, perhaps even facing a blockade from the South in return.

Make no mistake, the naval strength of the Southern Government depended on their investment and the level of support from the great powers.

If Austria could sell a fleet to the Southern Government, then the UK, France, and Spain could as well. The Northern Government could not compete in industrial strength with these four countries, including the UK, France, Austria, and Spain; they were not even in the same league.

President Lincoln forced himself to remain calm and looked at the Minister of the Navy expectantly, asking, “If this fleet joins the Rebel army, can the navy ensure the free passage of our maritime transportation?”

Clearly, he had given up the idea of using the navy to blockade the southern states. Lincoln was aware of his limits, and rather than dwelling on the impossible, he considered whether the Federal government might be blockaded instead.

The Secretary of the Navy, Gideon Welles, thought for a moment and answered, “We may face a little trouble, but the enemy doesn’t have the capability to blockade our coastline.

The ocean-going fleet sold by Austria is powerful because it is centered around five of the most advanced ironclad ships, accompanied by more than thirty sailing battleships.

However, their fleet is not numerous, and apart from these main combat ships, the rest are auxiliary vessels.

Our shipbuilding capacity is limited; if we rely solely on our strength, it will take at least two years to surpass the rebels.

War cannot wait that long, and to gain maritime superiority as soon as possible, we must purchase or lease warships from abroad.”

Shipbuilding takes time, and with America’s shipbuilding industry, it is impossible to construct several hundred warships in just a few years.

Historically, the navy of the federal side in the American Civil War was also built mainly through purchases and leases, with only a part being constructed by themselves.

After all, warships are not so easy to build. Ironclads are one thing – they are a testament to the new era’s industrial capabilities – but even wooden sailing warships have demanding requirements.

Wood alone is a challenge. A sailing warship often requires the felling of thousands of trees, and the timber has to be processed and usually stored for several years to dry out.

The most crucial keel must be made of oak or teak, with very high requirements for the wood.

Fortunately, with the development of shipbuilding technology, these components can now mostly be replaced with steel; otherwise, after many years of logging, Americans could only dream of finding so much timber.

As for steel, there’s no doubt it must be imported from the British. The United States has held the title of the world’s number one steel importer for many consecutive years, and now with the war, the demand for steel is even greater.

This is also the reason for Lincoln’s worry about being blockaded; if cut off from supplies, they might as well admit defeat and acknowledge the independence of the Southern Government.

President Lincoln said sternly, “Proceed with your plan. At this stage, it’s also time to compete with the Southern Government in terms of financial strength to see who can hold out longer.”

Wars are fought with money, and in this era, many things can be bought with money, including warships.

Any country in Europe would welcome this business, as long as there is sufficient profit. Who cares to whom the warships are sold?

Secretary of State Saffar said, “I’m afraid that’s still not enough. The European powers support the Southern Government. Even if they are willing to sell us warships, they will at most keep the balance between the two sides.

The naval blockade has already failed, and the key to deciding the outcome of this war has returned to the army. Only by winning on land can we win this war and maintain the nation’s unity.”

This is a very realistic issue. Despite the Northern Government’s economic advantage, it’s not necessarily the match of the Southern Government when it comes down to financial strength.

In this era, the US Internal Revenue Service does not yet have that much fighting power, and capitalists naturally won’t pay their taxes honestly. In contrast, it is easier for Southern plantation owners to collect tariffs when exporting their goods.

To raise funds, the Federal government has issued bonds domestically multiple times; unfortunately, this money is in US Dollars. While it’s fine for use domestically, internationally it hasn’t found any takers.

The Southern Government, having cotton as collateral, issued bonds overseas and got foreign exchange directly in hand. Occasionally, in major commodity sales, they could even pay with a portion of these bonds.

As for seeking support from various European countries, the Federal government has already tried that and achieved no effect. Even if some were supportive, it only remained in words.

Now Napoleon III is still busy with the annexation of the Kingdom of Sardinia. He cannot afford to offend the British-Australian-Western countries over their interests and lose the opportunity for expansion on the European Continent.

President Lincoln tentatively asked, “What about abolishing slavery?”

Secretary of State Saffar immediately opposed, “Private property is inviolable, which goes against the US Constitution. It would also push the Slave States loyal to the Federation toward the Southern Government.”

The sanctity of private property does not only protect the interests of the slave owners but also the capitalists.

Everyone has the fear of becoming the next target. If the Federal government were to tear open this hole, capitalists would likewise worry that one day, the Federal government would turn its blade on them.

Lincoln explained, “I mean to free the slaves in the rebel states, everywhere else remains as usual.”

Secretary of State Saffar still shook his head. Now of the 16 Slave States in the Federation, 15 have joined the Southern Government, and in the remaining Delaware, slavery is virtually dead in name.

The effectiveness of this executive order is uncertain, but the negative effects it could bring are very severe.

If people in the Southern states believed that the Federal government wanted to strip them of all their property, they would be resolved to fight to the end, and that would truly be disastrous.

Even excluding slaves, they still have a population of seven to eight million, and with the support of the powers, if they are united in their desire for independence, the Federal government will never have a chance to unify.

President Lincoln added again, “We have no choice. There’s already a large number of black troops in the rebel army. If we can’t divide them, the rebels will use these cannon fodder to deplete our elite troops.

As far as I know, the rebels have also signed a labor import treaty with the Austrians, averaging three hundred thousand strong laborers each year.

What do they intend to do? It’s nothing more than the slave owners paying a price for independence now and compensating with these laborers in the future.

Once on their territory, it’s ultimately up to them to decide whether these are laborers or slaves.”

Not to mention the Southern plantation owners, even some capitalists in the North want to introduce a batch of cheap strong labor for mining.

People are forced into circumstances. With the South lacking in population and naturally unable to match the army numbers of the North, using slaves in the war is also a choice.

Secretary of State Saffar did not continue to oppose. According to the current situation, to gain an advantage on the battlefield, it’s necessary to divide the relationship between slaves and their owners.

Otherwise, if the Southern rebels could trade two or three black slaves for one Federation soldier, they’d be the ones crying.

Despite the heated war, the labor export companies’ business never stopped, and the rebels could afford the loss.

…

In September 1862, President Lincoln submitted the Emancipation Proclamation to Congress. After a fierce debate, and with Lincoln’s persistence, it passed by a narrow margin.

The proclamation stated that from New Year’s Day 1863, slavery would be abolished in the rebellious states, and slaves would be allowed to join the Northern army as free men.

The issuance of the emancipation act immediately caused a sensation in the United States. A wave of slave escapes erupted in the Southern states, and black individuals started to appear at the Northern government’s recruitment sites.

It even affected the Confederate Government’s army, and in order to appease the morale, the Confederate Government had to grant black soldier slaves the status of free citizens.

Due to the issuance of the emancipation act, the Southern Government was already at a political disadvantage. In order to change this situation, the Confederate Government was not idle.

Following the suggestions of representatives of various nations, the Southern Confederation Government began to woo the Indians and promised to support their independence.